US Senate Passes First Federal Budget in 4 Years

The U.S. Senate has passed its first federal budget plan in four years. The slim 50-49 vote came just hours before dawn Saturday.

Four Democratic Party Senators joined all the Republicans in the Senate in voting against the measure, but that was not enough to overcome passage in the Democratically-controlled body.

The resolution seeks to raise nearly $1 trillion in new tax revenue over the next 10 years by closing some tax breaks on wealthy Americans. The measure cuts government spending by a similar amount.

Democrats in the Senate have been criticized for failing to approve a budget since 2009.

Passage of the measure sets up a political duel with the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans. The House came up with its own budget plan on Thursday, cutting government spending without raising taxes.

Neither plan has much of a chance of becoming law. But the Senate and House proposals set up starting points for debate that could eventually lead to passage of a budget bill that President Barack Obama could sign into law.